Good kabisa. Sasa bandiko lako linabaki kuwa 'uzio' wa kiwango cha uelewa na 'wigo' wa IMANI kadri ya kiwango cha maarifa kuhusu DINI na DHEHEBU.
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Kuna jambo hulioni katika bandiko langu. Ili uweze kuona usiyoyaona, soma haya kwa umakini kuhusu huyu Yesu na Mungu wa Biblia unaowaongelea:
Members of a given religion or denomination need to define what the necessary and sufficient conditions are for something to be a religion-specific-god or a denomination-specific-god before they can call themselves members of a given religion or members of a given denomination.
If so:
- Are the necessary and sufficient attributes of a Christian God IDENTICAL TO the necessary and sufficient attributes of a non-Christian God?
- Are the necessary and sufficient attributes of a Catholic God IDENTICAL TO the necessary and sufficient attributes of a Lutheran God?
- Are the necessary and sufficient attributes of Jesus Christ as understood by Catholics IDENTICAL TO the necessary and sufficient attributes of Jesus Christ as understood by non-Catholic churches?
A quick list of the attributes under each category allows us to give a negative answer to all the questions above.
Then, let us answer these questions next:
- From the above, are the phrases "Christian God", "Catholic God" and "Lutheran God" synonymous?
- From the above, are the phrases "Catholic Jesus Christ", "non-Catholic Jesus Christ" synonymous?
The answer is negative to both of these questions too. Let us note carefully the reasons:
In mathematics and philosophy, we show something to be true if it meets criteria that are both necessary and sufficient. For example, for an object to be a square, it must have four sides.
But while a necessary condition is that the object have four sides, this condition is not sufficient because a rectangle also has four sides.
On the other hand, some conditions are sufficient but not always necessary. For instance, in school, a student who earns an A is guaranteed to pass the course.
In other words, an A is a sufficient condition for passing the course, but it isn’t necessary because a student who earns a B or a C will also pass the course.
To prove something to be true, like the square, we sometimes need a multitude of necessary conditions that together become sufficient.
That is, all conditions must be met at once for the answer to be true. In this example, a square must have four sides, all straight, all equal length, joined at the ends, lying in a plane, with four 90-degree angles, etc.
If we meet all these criteria, then, and only then, are we guaranteed a square.
If we apply this approach to the God-question and the Jesus-question, we find that, we have many conceptions of God and many conceptions of Christ.
Here are the facts:
The Catholic God hates contraception, while non-Catholic Gods don't. Thus, as opposed to first century Christians, today we have many conceptions of the Biblical God.
The Catholic Jesus comes from the father
and the son, while the non-Catholic Jesus comes from the father
through the son. Thus, as opposed to first century Christians, today we have many conceptions of the Biblical Christ.
So, to save human dignity against religious confusion, let us think loudly about religion!